Maple sugar….since it hasn’t always been readily available it took me a while to jump on this “non-refined” sugar train with all my Paleo baking. I always subbed in coconut sugar if a recipe called for maple sugar. BUT, last year when I started working on the cake for Makenna’s wedding, and the recipe called for “maple sugar” ~ I knew that cake had to be perfect, so I took the maple sugar plunge and now I’m hooked.
Maple sugar is granulated and is a wonderful substitute in recipes for standard table sugar. The flavor profile is probably one of my favorites! The flavor of maple, the real stuff…wow, nothing really compares. Mother Nature just has a way of doing things right and in such a lovely way!
Speaking of doing things right, the seventh generation farmers over at Coombs Family Farms know exactly what that means! “Since the mid-1800s, the Coombs family have been acting as responsible stewards of the forest, following a ‘sustainable’ approach to agriculture long before anyone had a specific name for it – or could conceive of any other way to farm.” They do all they can to make sure that small family farms – and the small town economies that depend on them – thrive. We all need to support companies that believe in this concept of sustainability. It’s imperative we all make that choice.
It’s the only brand of maple sugar I’ll use. I’ve tried other brands…no comparison!
maple pecan thumb print cookies
grain-free, paleo maple pecan thumb print cookies
Credit: backporchpaleo.com
Ingredients
- filling:
- ½ c evaporated coconut milk
- 9 tbls Coombs Maple Sugar
- 1 large egg yolk
- ½ tsp vanilla
- ⅛ tsp Redmond Real Salt
- 2 tbls ghee cookie:
- 1¼ c Otto’s Cassava Flour
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp Redmond Real Salt
- ½ c grass fed butter
- ½ c Coombs Maple Sugar
- 2 eggs, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2-3 tbls finely chopped pecans
Directions
- In small saucepan, combine evaporated coconut milk, maple sugar, egg yolk, vanilla and salt. Cook, stirring constantly, over medium heat until it begins to thicken slightly. Remove from heat, add ghee and stir well to combine. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
- Line two baking sheets with parchment paper, or silpat mat.
- Preheat oven to 350°
- In a small bowl, combine cassava flour, baking powder and salt, whisk to combine…set aside.
- In a medium bowl, add butter and maple sugar…beat with a hand mixer until light and fluffy, don’t skip this step! Take the time, the fluffier the better!
- Add eggs and vanilla to butter mixture and mix with hand mixer until well combined.
- Add flour to sugar/egg mixture and beginning slowly, mix with hand mixer until well combined.
- Scoop dough with a 4cm (approx. 2 tsp) cookie scoop and then roll into ball, place on prepared baking sheet and with your knuckle or thumb, press a dent in the middle of the ball. Repeat with remaining dough, spacing about 2″ apart.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes or until just barely getting brown…you want a nice baked cookie that is still soft with not a lot of color.
- Remove to a wire rack to cool completely. Use a small spoon and place a dollop of filling in the indentation on the cookie and sprinkle with chopped pecans. Enjoy! Store any uneaten cookies at room temperature.
